Preparing for Winter Weather
Winter Supplies For the Home
Keep enough supplies in your home to meet your needs and those of each family member for three to five days. Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit with items you may need in an evacuation. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as backpacks, duffel bags or covered trash containers.
Here's what to include:
• Three- to five-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won't spoil. Include a manual can opener.
• One change of clothing and footwear and one blanket or sleeping bag per person. A first aid kit that includes your family's prescriptions and medications. Include contacts or an extra pair of glasses.
• Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlights and plenty of extra batteries.
• An extra set of car keys and a credit card, cash (small denominations) or traveler's checks.
• Sanitation supplies including toilet paper, soap, plastic garbage bags and disinfectant.
• Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members.
• Important family documents in a waterproof container. Keep the originals of all important financial and family documents in a safe place. You will need accessible records for tax and insurance purposes.
Ask one person to be responsible for replacing water every three months and food every six months. Batteries should also be replaced on a regular basis. Tape the call letters and frequency numbers of your emergency alert radio stations (EAS) on the radio and make sure everyone knows how to work the radio and put in fresh batteries. Also, tape the channel number of the television emergency broadcast stations on your TV.
Winter Supplies For Your Vehicle
Keep the following items in your vehicle during the winter:
• cell phone
• blankets/sleeping bags
• high-calorie foods that don't require refrigeration or cooking (protein bars, nuts, beef jerky, etc.)
• flashlight with extra batteries
• first aid kit
• pocket knife
• a change of clothing in case you get wet
• a large empty can and plastic cover with tissues and paper towels for sanitary purposes
• a smaller can and water-proof matches to melt snow for drinking water
• bag of sand or clay cat litter (non-clumping)
• shovel windshield scraper and brush
• tool kit
• tow rope
• booster cables
• water container
• compass
• road maps
• brightly colored cloth to use as a distress signal
Winterize Your Home
• Make sure your home is properly insulated. If necessary, insulate the walls and attic to reduce your home's power demands for heat. Caulk and weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep cold air out.
• Consider buying emergency heating equipment, such as a wood- or coal-burning stove or a kerosene heater. If you have a wood stove, be sure it is properly vented and in good working order and that you dispose of the ashes safely. For a kerosene heater, use only the correct fuel for your unit. Properly ventilate the area of use and refuel the unit outdoors once it has cooled.
• Keep a supply of wood or coal on hand to use in your wood/coal-burning stove or fireplace.
• Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside to provide an extra layer of insulation to keep cold air out.
• Know how to shut off the main water valve and how to shut off and drain outside faucets. Outside faucets are often controlled by a valve inside the home. Keep a wrench near the valves.
• Install heat tape on water pipes. Put the tape on all exterior water pipes and interior pipes located on outside walls or anywhere else that temperatures could go below freezing. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions.
• Protect pipes from freezing by:
– Wrapping pipes in insulation or layers of newspaper and then covering them with plastic to keep out moisture.
– Letting faucets drip a little.
– More tips for keeping your pipes from freezing • Install snow fences in rural areas to reduce drifting snow on roads and paths, which could block access to homes, barns and animals' feed and water.
• Create a place where your animals can be comfortable in severe winter weather. Bring your companion animals indoors. Horses and livestock should have a shelter where they can be protected from wind, snow, ice and rain. Grazing animals should have access to a protected supply of food and non-frozen water.
• Be aware of the potential for flooding when snow and ice melt and be sure that your animals have access to high ground that is not impeded by fencing or other barriers. You may not be able to get to them in time to relocate them in the event of flooding.
• Ensure that any outbuilding that house or shelter animals can withstand wind, heavy snow and ice.
• Consider purchasing flood insurance if you live in a flood-prone area, to cover possible flood damage that may occur during the spring thaw. Homeowners' policies do not cover damage from floods. Ask your insurance agent about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) if you are at risk.